DENVER--With receiver Ashley Lelie holding out of minicamp in an effort to force a trade, the Denver Broncos are looking for a receiver to replace him. They're not looking for an All-Pro or future Hall of Famer, just somebody with blazing speed and cement hands that can run decoy routes for Rod Smith.

â€œWe definitely need another warm body in there to take Ashleyâ€™s place,â€ coach Mike Shanahan told a group of reporters yesterday. â€œObviously it doesnâ€™t have to be a top tier receiver because Ashleyâ€™s not a top tier receiver. Cement hands? No problem. Ashley had cement hands and we really liked him. Luckily nobody else in the league likes him, so heâ€™ll probably be back here for training camp running like a gazelle and being hit in the back of the head with passes. Heâ€™ll have a shot at the starting job, though. He just wonâ€™t get it.â€

Lelieâ€™s decision to skip minicamp was the result of frustration over his role with the team. He wanted to be the number one receiver, but the teamâ€™s offseason courtship of Terrell Owens and subsequent signing of Javon Walker indicated that they had other plans. Now Lelie wants to be traded to a team where he can be at the top of the depth chart.

â€œI want to be a starting receiver. I want to be the top guy,â€ Lelie said in an interview with CBS4 Denver. â€œI have all the tools: Iâ€™m quick, I run great routes, and despite what everyone says, I have great hands. Iâ€™m one of the best in football and they should send me somewhere I can prove it. And no, I donâ€™t want to compete for the top spot here in Denver. I want it handed to me before I even put on shoulder pads. Is that too much to ask?â€

Lelie said he was â€œshocked and angeredâ€ when the Broncos began courting other receivers after last year.

â€œIt was a slap in my face when they went after those other guys,â€ said Lelie. â€œAny player in my position would be doing the same thing- except for Rod Smith, of course. Heâ€™s such a goody-goody. All he cares about is the team. Well of course thatâ€™s all he cares about. Heâ€™s the number one receiver. But how can you care as a number two or three? Itâ€™s like youâ€™re not even on the team. You might as well be the wide receivers coach. No offense to our wide receivers coach, of course, whoever he is.â€

Rod Smith is indeed excited about the Broncos chances this season. However, he would be more excited if his friend, Ashley Lelie, would return to camp and join the team. Smith has been a mentor to Lelie since he came into the league in 2002.

â€œItâ€™s disappointing to see Ashley holding out like this,â€ said Smith, entering his 11th year in the NFL. â€œHeâ€™s sabotaging his future with that behavior. Ashley, if youâ€™re listening, please come back to camp. Come here and continue being a dependable backup and continue cashing your checks and be happy. You can even compete for the starting job. Of course, if you get it, I will leave this stinking team in protest and never come back.â€

One candidate to take Lelieâ€™s place on the depth chart is receiver Darius Watts, a 2004 draft pick who has impressed coach Shanahan in workouts so far. Watts sees Lelieâ€™s departure as an opportunity to make his own mark on the team.

â€œIf Ashley doesnâ€™t come back, thatâ€™s fine,â€ said Watts, a former second round pick. â€œI just appreciate the opportunity to show this coaching staff what I can do. All I really want is to help this team attain itâ€™s goal of winning a Super Bowl. I donâ€™t need to be a number one guy. Not this year anyway. See, unlike Ashley, Iâ€™m going to use this year to build my case to be a top receiver by having a great year. Itâ€™s called â€˜leverage.' Next year I can rake these fuckers over the coals.â€

_________________bitches I like em brainless
guns I like em stainless steel
I want the fuckin fortune like the wheel

This Lelie situation pisses me off more than any other disgruntled NFL player situation in the past 5 years. He isn't very good, and he even admitted he wasn't even trying during his first few years in the league. He didn't care enough to give 100% on every play, and it's not like he has Randy Moss skill.

I'm worried about Plummers psyche. I'm sure Shannahan (Sp?) can keep him together, but drafting Cutler can't help Jake out mentally. Plus remember how bad he played in thier last playoff game? Can he get past this to perform well in every playoff game and a super bowl? I don't believe he can.

ha ha, Lelie is a moron, he should have been working hard and trying to achieve some level of success in camp, then he'd have some value, who are they going to get now Chris Henry, Mike Williams, a bag of footballs?

Yeah, but it was quickly forgotten, because that happened on September 10, 2001.

chocolate johnson wrote:

I'm worried about Plummers psyche. I'm sure Shannahan (Sp?) can keep him together, but drafting Cutler can't help Jake out mentally. Plus remember how bad he played in thier last playoff game? Can he get past this to perform well in every playoff game and a super bowl? I don't believe he can.

On the contrary, Plummer's been a complete class act after Cutler was drafted. He said he would have done the same thing if he was Shanny, and his attitude shows signs of him pulling a Drew Brees and doing his best to keep the rookie on the bench (which would be scary if that happened because Plummer was coming off a near-Pro Bowl year).

As far as Lelie goes, he's just a bit delusional on how good he really is. He's not a bad player, but he hasn't been dangerous in every route other than the deep route.

I say hold onto him until some team loses some WRs in trading camp and get desperate.

The two things the Broncos needed to fix in the offseason were more threats at WR and help at DE to replace Trevor Pryce. Javon Walker and Brandon Marshall (maybe Watts or Terrell?) should help out there. There's some crazy competition at that position. Hopefully Kenard Lang and Elvis Dumervil can provide the latter.

I'd say at least a repeat division title should be expected, and perhaps more (then again, they're always aiming for the Lombardi. )

I don't know what to think this year. Last year, I thought they would be a sub-500 team and somehow they made it to the Conference Championship game. Hopefully Javon Walker can help out Rod Smith, because he needs it.

Yeah, but it was quickly forgotten, because that happened on September 10, 2001.

chocolate johnson wrote:

I'm worried about Plummers psyche. I'm sure Shannahan (Sp?) can keep him together, but drafting Cutler can't help Jake out mentally. Plus remember how bad he played in thier last playoff game? Can he get past this to perform well in every playoff game and a super bowl? I don't believe he can.

On the contrary, Plummer's been a complete class act after Cutler was drafted. He said he would have done the same thing if he was Shanny, and his attitude shows signs of him pulling a Drew Brees and doing his best to keep the rookie on the bench (which would be scary if that happened because Plummer was coming off a near-Pro Bowl year).

Wow that was Sept 10, 2001. I had no idea! Anyway, if Plummer pulls a Brees the Broncos could be primed for a superbowl birth. I guess I just worry about how he will perform if they were to get there.

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